A Queen and Her Fallen Hero
by HyruvianDoctor
Summary: A elderly queen is standing at the grave of a fallen hero when she is visited by a hooded stranger.


A lone woman stood in front of her husband, bathed in the orange glow of twilight pouring through the windows. She had been there for hours simply staring at him and remembering their younger days when a hooded figure walked up beside her.

"Excuse me miss," he said in a grizzled voice, "but I noticed you've been standing here for quite some time. Is everything alright?'

"Oh I suppose I'll be fine," she responded without turning to face the man. "I'm just remembering how things used to be."

There was a silence between them, as if speaking would disrupt the serenity of the moment. Finally the man spoke.

"I don't mean to pry, your majesty, but this is the grave of your late husband, is it not? Sir Link the Lionhearted? The great Hero of Time?"

The woman was silent. After a moment she answered quietly, "Yes. Yes it is."

"Such a beautiful grave," the hooded man said solemnly, looking the great monument up and down. The grave was comprised of a large square base a good two men high with a giant statue of the Hero of Time himself atop it. A plaque rested at the foot of the grave, a large onyx tablet that read, "Here lies the Hero of Time. Savior of Hyrule, Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, and King. May the Goddesses guide him to peace."

"You must have loved him very much, Queen Zelda."

A tear welled up in the queen's eye and rolled down her cheek. "More than anyone could ever understand," she answered, wiping the tear away with a gloved hand.

The years had been kind to Zelda. Her long golden locks had turned to a pure white, her figure remained basically the same as it had been in her younger days, and her eyes were still a deep, dazzling blue. However, the weight of her loss had taken its toll, most prominently in the melancholy look in her eyes. And she hardly ever smiled anymore. She had lost part of her soul, and it showed.

The man's eyes were fixed on the queen, watching her every move, her every little gesture and motion, completely absorbed in her.

"Your majesty, I'm sure you are aware of the coming hour."

Zelda sighed. She did indeed. She felt her strength waning even as the man spoke. It was time, her time. And she welcomed it.

"I have lived a good life. I was blessed in so many ways. I got to see my children grow up and have children of their own, and even some of their children. I was able to help usher Hyrule into a new age of peace and prosperity alongside my husband. And I was allowed to spend my life with the man I loved most, my best friend, my Link."

The queen lifted her head and looked up at the statue of her hero.

"But perhaps it is time for me to rest. My family can manage without me, and my son will make a wonderful King for Hyrule. He's so much like his father."

When the castle staff awoke the next morning they found the queen laying on the plaque at the base of her husband's grave, curled up like a small child and smiling a gentle smile of content. A servant was sent to wake the queen's oldest son and give him the somber news of his mother's passing.

A beautiful blonde woman in a pink and purple dress and with the gorgeous blue eyes stood watching the queen's oldest son as he knelt before his parents' grave crying. Next to her stood the hooded man in the brown cloak.

An impossible wind blew through the castle and blowing the hood off the man and causing his cloak to billow around him, revealing the green tunic beneath. His face exposed, blonde hair falling around the sides of his face, and a smile on his lips, Link put his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her close to his side as she placed a hand on his chest.

As they stood watching their son a warm golden light began to glow around them, causing the new king to turn around in confusion. His eyes opened wide, tears cascading down his face as he watched his parents fade away.

"We love you son," his father said, his voice emanated from the glow.

And with that, Hyrule's greatest rulers faded from the world.


End file.
